Home / Health / New NHS Dental Clinic Sees 1,000 Patients in Month
New NHS Dental Clinic Sees 1,000 Patients in Month
21 Mar
Summary
- Nearly 1,000 patients treated since the new NHS dental practice opened.
- The clinic provides hands-on experience for trainee dentists.
- Urgent dental care is a primary focus, alleviating pain and infection.
A new NHS dental practice, established just over a month ago in Plymouth, has already provided treatment to nearly 1,000 individuals, fulfilling over 1,200 appointments. Launched on February 9th, the Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise (PDSE) clinic, in collaboration with the University of Plymouth, aims to meet the rising need for urgent dental care. Many patients have been urgent referrals from NHS 111, seeking relief from dental pain, infection, or trauma.
The clinic serves a dual purpose: addressing immediate dental needs and offering practical experience to final-year dental students and dental therapists. Professor Rob Witton highlighted the positive progress, noting the practice operates at near full capacity with its 13 chairs. Qualified clinicians, including university alumni, also staff the facility. Patients requiring ongoing care are referred to other PDSE sites or continue with therapists for stabilization.
This new practice is part of the Plymouth Dental Taskforce, formed in response to a significant crisis in local dentistry. Previous reports indicated severe difficulties in accessing NHS dental services in the South West. The initiative seeks to retain graduates in the region and bolster NHS dental care, with hopes for government support to expand such services across Devon and Cornwall.
